In the middle ages 137

accordingly, that even the most wicked man still re-

tains a fundamental tendency toward goodness, —

a tendency which renders his improvement always

possible.^

In the realm of art, optimism and serenity

are still more evident; for art springs from the

heart, which realizes joy even better than the spirit.

There appear in the Chansons de geste a joy of liv-

ing and a freshness of imagery which enrich the

love between knights and ladies, an exhalation of

nature which reveals the profound happiness felt in

living in the midst of its bovmties and wonders. We

all know what clear and vibrating poems the "Lit-

tle Flowers" of St. Francis are, and how they ex-

press as does the Divme Comedy of Dante, not only

a glorification of the Divine Creation and of the

Redemption, but also songs of delight in the pres-

ence of the spectacle of nature.

Is it necessary to mention the Gothic cathedrals,

as they too sing a hymn of joy, the triumph of na-

ture and of God? Their lofty arches flooded with

light, their windows sparkling in the sun like ori-

ental tapestry, their noble and expressive vaults,

their profusion of paintings and of figures and of

symbols, — this is not the work of men who are skep-

tical of life. The sculptors of the Middle Ages

"looked on the world with the wondering eyes of

children." They depict nature in its perfection of

beauty.

- See below, p. 270.

138 PHILOSOPHY AND CIVILIZATION

Finally, a still more elevated motive stimulates

the optimistic view of life in society at large. It

is Christian idealism,— the hope of future happi-

ness, the belief in the religious value of work ac-

complished. Can we explain in any other way,

the wonderful exploits of optimism shown in the

Crusades ? How closely they press upon each other

in that long succession! In spite of the hugeness

of the enterprise, or the lack of success in each of

those attempts, still the Crusades continued to

arouse an ever-recurring enthusiasm. They have

been well called "epopees of optimism."

II

Another feature which is closely connected with

the optimism of the scholastics and which requires

equal emphasis, is the i7npersonal character of their

work, a certain spirit of personal detachment which

pervades also their scholarly labors, — whether in

the classification of human knowledge, or the great

system of scholastic philosophy. Both their optim-

ism and their impersonalism are simply the product

of a consciously progressive and collective effort.

Indeed the thirteenth century was possessed of a

significant conception regarding truth. Truth is

a great edifice to be gradually built up. This work

is necessarily co-operative and over a long period

of time; and therefore it must be entered into im-

personally by each worker. The truth, and the

knowledge which expresses it, is not considered as